Log raft and log rafting mechanism



Sept. 19, 1939. P. A. PEARSON 2,173,724

I LOG RAFT AND LOG RAFTING MECHANISM Filed June ll, 1938 INVENTOR fau/ ZZ e cars on ATTORNEY i atentecl S ept.

UNITED" STATES PATENT. OFFICE Foss Launch and Tug Company,

Tacoma,

Wash., a corporation of Washington Application June 11, 1938, Serial No.213,222-

4 Claims.

My invention relates to the rafting of logs and to log raftingmechanism. More particularly, my invention relates to log raftingmechanism which is particularly adapted for use in rafts which are to betowed in rivers and in inland waters.

In river towing, generally it is suflicient to have the logs of the towloose but surrounded by secured together logs forming a parallelogram.However in river towing, the rafts generally encounter strong currentsand crooked channels, so there is continual movement and the angles atthe corners of the raft are continually changing and may be either acuteangles or obtuse angles, i. e., the raft may be rectangular or diamondshaped.

To take care of this continual change in the shape of the raft, it isnecessary to provide sulficient slackness in the flexible connectingmeans to prevent undue strain and breakage. In other words the flexibleconnection between the end logs, i. e., head log or tail 10g, and theside logs, must have sufiicient slackness therein or the prying actionof the logs, due to change in shape of the raft, will place undue strainon or will break the connecting means.

A conflicting requirement of the connecting means between the end logsand the side logs is brought about by reason of the fact that theslackness must be reduced to a minimum to prevent escape of logs throughopenings between the end logs and the side logs. In most cases if theslackness in the connecting means between the end logs and the side logsis reduced to the minimum necessary to prevent undue strains orbreakage, there will be a sufiicient opening between the end logs andthe side logs to permit escape of logs which are loose within theenclosing side and end logs.

In accordance with myinvention I am able to provide sufiicient slacknessin the flexible connecting means between the end logs and the side logsto prevent'undue strains and breakage and at the same time preventescape of logs from the enclosing end and side logs.

In accordance with my invention I provide, at

7 each corner of the raft, a flexible connector which connects adjacentend portions of an end log and a side log, and I also secure eachflexible connector to the end portion of the log next adjacent the sidelog, preferably by passing each connector slidably through a dog whichis secured to the log adjacent the side log. This securely holds thelog, which is positioned adjacent the side log at each corner of theraft, and said log thus anchored blocks the opening at the corner of theraft and prevents the exit of any of the other logs in the raft throughthe corner open- In towing in rivers and like waters where there islittle wave action, it is common practice to use what is generallytermed in the art, a flat raft. My invention is used in connection withsuch flat rafts.

In constructing fiat rafts in accordance with my invention, I prefer to:employ the timber or saw logs both as the side logs and the end logs ofthe raft. If the timber or saw logs are bored for this use, the boringof said logs entails a considerable loss due to the fact that it iscommon practice in scaling to deduct two lineal feet from a log for eachend portion having a hole bored; therethrough. For this reason I preferto employ means for connecting the logs together which does notnecessitate the boring of the logs, and I have illustrated such anapparatus in the preferred form of my invention. c It is a primaryobject of my invention to overcome the objections above pointed out andto provide practical and efficient means for preventing the loss of logsthrough openings in the corner portions of rafts. I The above mentionedgeneral objects of my invention, together with others inherent in thesame, are attained by the devices illustrated in the following drawing,the same being preferred exemplary forms ofembodiment of my invention, 3

throughout which drawing like numerals indicate like parts:

Figure 1 is a plan view, with parts broken away, showing a fiat raftconstructed in accordance with this invention as said raft may appearwhen the head 10g and tail log are at substantially right angles to theside logs;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan view on a larger scale than Fig. 1 of onecorner of the raft, showing an end log positioned at an angle ofsubstantially less than ninety degrees relative to a side log andleaving an opening at the corner of the raft between an end log and aside log;

Fig. 3 is a view in elevation of a dog employing a thimble and cleviswhich may be used in connection with this invention; a

Fig. 4 is a view in elevation of a dog and clevis which may be used inconnection with this invention; and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary plan view of the corner portion of a flat raftof modified form showing the same constructed in accordance with thisinvention.

reference Fig. 1 of the drawing shows two end logs l0 and II and aplurality of side logs I2 all secured together to provide an enclosurefor a plurality of other logs which are loose in the raft. Preferablyend logs I and II and side logs I2 are logs which are saw logs asdistinguished from especially prepared boom sticks. Fragments of towline means I3 are shown connected to one of the end logs I0 and this towline means I3 may extend to a tug boat, not shown, or to a like sourceof power. In still water this tow line will be connected with the headlog II! but in conducting a raft down a swift stream a similar tow linemeans I3 may be connected with the tail log II so that the raft may becontrolled and held back by a tug boat. A flat raft made up for rivertowing is usually not a long raft but may comprise several sections.With a short. raft of this nature, the end logs more frequently becomeinclined relative to the side logs, as shown in Fig. 2, and leaveopenings at corners of the raft. My invention provides means forblocking these openings and preventing the escape of rafted logstherethrough.

The preferred mechanism for securing the end logs and side logs togetherat the corners of the raft is shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4. Thismechanism comprises a flexible cable I4 having an anchoring device,herein referred to as a dog 9, secured to each end. Each dog 9 (see Fig.3) has a driving member or spike comprising a shank I5 having anintegral head I6 of square cross section at one end and having anintegral spiral blade I? at the other end. The shank I5 passes throughholes in the spaced apart end portions of a U shaped clevis I8. Theclevis I8 has an eye I9 therein through which the cable I4 passes. A.thimble member 2% is positioned on the shank I5 between the spacedapart end portions of the clevis I8, said thimble member 20 having anopening through which the shank I5 passes and having an external groovefor receiving an end portion of the cable I4 which is drawn around thesaid thimble member and spliced, or similarly fastened, so as to securethe dog 9 to the cable. The cable i4 is formed in a loop at the locationof each dog member 9 with a portion of the cable passing slidablythrough the eye I9 of the clevis I8.

Another dog 21, shown in Fig. .4. has a driving member identical withthe, driving member shown in Fig. 3. A clevis 22 with an eye 23 thereinis pivotally mounted on the shank of this dog 2| and the cable I4.passes through this clevis 22.

In applying this flexible fastening means to the logs at the corner of araft the loops at the respective end portions of the cable I4 are passedover the adjacent ends of the side log and end log respectivelysubstantially as shown in Fig. 2, and the spike members of the dogs 9are driven into these logs, thus securely anchoring the dog members 9 tothe logs. The spike of the dog 2I is driven into the log 8 next adjacentto the side log I2 so that the cable connects the end log I0 and theside log I2 substantially as shown in Fig. 2, and is slidable throughthe clevis 22 of the dog 2I which is anchored to the log 8 adjacent theside log I2.

This connects the end portion of the end log Ill with the adjacent endportion of the side log I2 by a flexible connector. The flexibleconnector has a sliding connection with the log 8 which lies adjacent tothe side log I2. When the side log I2 and end log I0 assume respectivepositions as shown in Fig. 2 and leave an opening in the corner of theraft, the log 8 adjacent the side log I2 will be in alignment with thisopening but said log 8 is connected with the cable I4 so it cannotescape from the raft through this opening. At the same time the log 8adjacent the side log will obstruct and block 01f the opening at thecorner of the raft.

The adjacent ends of side logs I2 are preferably connected together byflexible connector means I4 and dog means 9, Which may be similar to theconnectorand dog means used at the corners of the raft and are thereforegiven the same numbers. These connections are shown in Fig. 1.

In Fig. 5 I show a modified form of the invention in which a flexibleconnector 24 connects directly "between an end log, such as head log I0,and side log I2. The flexible connector 24 is secured to such end andside logs by the dog means 9. Another flexible connector 25 connectsbetween the flexible connector 24 and the log 8 adjacent a side log I2.The flexible connector 25 is preferably slidable on the flexibleconnector 24. This may be accomplished in any well known manner such asproviding the flexible connector 25 in the form of a loop. The flexibleconnector 25 is preferably connected to the log 8 adjacent a side log I2by means of a dog. If the flexible connector 25 is in the form of aloop, the dog 2| (Fig. l) may be employed and the flexible connector 25passed through the opening 23.

In the foregoing forms of this invention the connector means between theend logs I0 and II and the side logs I2 have been illustrated in theform of flexible connectors which have been connected to the logs bymeans of dogs. Also the flexible connector has been secured to a log 8adjacent the side logs I2 by means of a dog, The flexible connectorbetween the end logs and the side logs has been either directlyconnected to the log 8 or has been connected by way of a separateflexible connector. It is to be understood the invention is not limitedto flexible connectors in the form of a cable and to dog means forconnecting the same to logs, and any of the well known means in the art,such as chains and holes in the logs, maybe employed.

Obviously, changes may be made in the forms, dimensions and arrangementof the parts of my invention, without departing from the principlethereof, the above setting forth only preferred forms of embodiment.

I claim:

1. A log raft of the class described comprising substantially parallelspaced apart side logs; end logs extending across the ends of the raftand cooperating with the side logs to form arienclosure; loose raftedlogs within said enclosure parallel to saidside logs; flexibleconnectors connecting adjacent end portions of the end logs and sidelogs; and means connecting said flexible connectors with the endportions of the rafted logs which are positioned adjacent the side logs.

2. A log raft of the class described comprising substantially parallelspaced apart side logs; end logs extending across the ends of the raftand cooperating with the side logs to form an enclosure; loose raftedlogs within said enclosure parallel to said side logs; flexibleconnectors connecting adjacent end portions of the end logs and sidelogs at the corners of the raft; and means slidably connecting saidflexible connectors with the end portions of the rafted logs that are positioned adjacent the side logs.

3. A log raft of the class described comprising substantially parallelspaced apart side logs; end logs extending acrossthe ends of the raftand. cooperating with the side logs to form an enclosure.

loose rafted logs Within said enclosure parallel to said side logs; eyemembers secured to the end portions of the rafted logs that arepositioned adjacent the side logs; and flexible connectors connectingadjacent end portions of the end logs and side logs at the corners ofthe raft and passing through said eye members.

4. A log raft of the class described comprising substantially parallelspaced apart side logs; end logs extending across the ends of the raftand cooperating with the side logs to form an enclosure; loose raftedlogs within said enclosure parallel to said side logs; a flexibleconnector member directly connecting adjacent end portions of the endlog and side log at a corner of the raft; and another flexible connectormember directly connected with said first named flexible connectormember and with the end portion of the rafted 10g which is positionedadjacent to and alongside of the said side log.

PAUL A. PEARSON.

